For as long as there have been elections, there have been high-profile people threatening to leave the country if the race doesn’t go their way.

The 2020 presidential race is no exception. Although stars like Lena Dunham, Jon Stewart, Samuel L. Jackson and countless others previously made the empty promise to ditch the United States if Donald Trump became president in 2016, the 2020 race is perhaps even more contentious in the minds of Hollywood stars. In fact, Trump himself has joked that he may have to leave the country if his opponent, Joe Biden, wins.

With Election Day just hours away, stars seem to be hedging their bets so as not to have egg on their face when they inevitably decide to stick around regardless of the outcome. Still, a handful of celebrities have claimed that they’ll flee the United States in the event that the president is reelected:

Bruce Springsteen


Bruce Springsteen has threatened to leave the U.S. if Trump is re-elected (AP)

The “Born in the U.S.A.” singer has been a vocal opponent of Trump throughout his administration, having used his E Street Radio program on SiriusXM to lambaste the administration several times in the past. However, the 71-year-old rocker recently told the Australian press that he will move to their country rather than endure a second Trump term in the United States.

When first asked whether he’d ever consider a move to Australia, Springsteen said, “I would consider that,” according to the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.

“I love Australia,” he continued. “Every time we have nothing but good times down there. It’s always a treat to come. Love the people, love the geography, great place for motorcycle trips, it’s close to our hearts.”

He added: “If Trump is reelected – which he will not be; I’m predicting right now he’s gonna lose – if by some happenstance he should be, I’ll see you on the next plane.”

Tommy Lee


Tommy Lee threatened to go back to Greece if the November election goes to Trump. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

The Motley Crue drummer promised to leave the United States if Trump beats Democrat Joe Biden in the upcoming election as well.

Speaking to The Big Issue, he noted that he plans to go back to Greece, where he was born, in the event the election doesn’t go his way.

“Dude, I swear to God if that happens, then I’m coming over to visit the U.K. I’m out of here,” Lee said. “I’ll go back to my motherland, go back to go Greece and get a house on one of the islands.”

He added that he believes the Trump administration has made the country look bad in the eyes of the rest of the world.

“The thing that stings the most is that I feel like we’re embarrassing,” Lee said. “I feel like people in Europe and the rest of the world look at America and think: ‘What the f–k are you guys doing over there? Stop voting for celebrities and get someone real to run the country.'”

The declaration isn’t surprising given how often Lee has spoken out against the president, specifically on the topic of the coronavirus. When it came to light that the president and the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19, he tweeted that it was an act of karma. Prior to that, he took Trump to task over his handling of the wildfires in California in 2018, which have only gotten worse over time.

Ricky Martin


Ricky Martin revealed that he and his husband had plans to leave the U.S. if Trump won. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Latino pop star is very public about his support for Biden, having previously appeared at a campaign event for the candidate in Miami.

“I’ve been supporting Biden forever,” the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” hitmaker says on an upcoming episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket.” “I think he is the only option we have and he is great and he has been in politics all his life. This is the moment. We all need to get together and be loud about the course of this nation.”

In the same interview, Martin revealed that he and his husband, artist Jwan Yosef, made plans to leave the country if Trump wins reelection. However, he stopped short of promising to do so, noting that he now plans to stick around and fight against a second term if it comes to it.

“I think when you have 50 million people voting already, it’s because we are not the only ones concerned about this and for that I am extremely happy,” Martin explained. “We just take it one day at a time and we’ve had plans like we might leave the country, but no. We have to stay here and we have to fight for our rights and what we believe.”

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are considering leaving the U.S. after the election. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

After being at the receiving end of a negative tweet from the president in 2019, Legend spoke to Cosmopolitan U.K. revealing that he and his wife considered leaving the United States because of Trump.

“Every once in a while you think about it,” the singer told the outlet. “We were born and raised here, all of our families are here. It would be hard to leave. But I don’t know what one’s supposed to do when you have a leader who is trying to destroy democracy.”

He added: “At some point, if that project [to destroy democracy] was to be in any way successful, you’d have to think about going somewhere that is a true democracy, that has respect for the rule of law and human rights.”

“If America chooses to be that place then people will have to start thinking about going somewhere else. It is truly disturbing and concerning.”

The singer noted, however, that he’s optimistic about Biden winning the election.

“I’m not nervous. I strongly believe America is exhausted from three and a half years of Donald Trump. Exhausted from the daily efforts to destroy democracy and the free press,” he said. “I think his handling of the [COVID-19] pandemic has been embarrassing to the entire nation and has caused so much loss of life, that was preventable. I think people are just exhausted and ready for new leadership: sane leadership, empathetic leadership. Joe Biden can bring that to the country. We can’t bear another four years of this.”